Hi, I'm Julie...

I always knew I wanted to write. 

I love the way every piece of writing tells a story, whether it is a piece of fiction, a poem, a newspaper article, a report or even an academic assignment. 

When I started my career, I knew I wanted a job writing, I just didn’t know where to start.   Fast forward 15 years and I was Head of External Communications at a large organisation, having worked my way up from my first role as a communications officer where I wrote about the organisation and its people. I loved it! I’d literally fallen into my dream job! I let myself progress as I thought I was supposed to, going for promotions, taking on more responsibility, managing a team. You know how it goes. But I slowly realised the higher I rose, the less I wrote, the less I communicated. I was a manager, I was a leader, I advised, I guided, I told people how to communicate with their audiences. I no longer loved it.  

As my family grew, my priorities changed, as did my ambitions. I no longer saw myself climbing the corporate ladder, I wanted something more.  

When the Covid pandemic hit, I immediately recognised the impact on the small businesses around me, I was fascinated by how they communicated with their absent customers, sharing their stories, providing empathy and encouragement and many switching their business model to stay afloat.  

These are the people I want to work with.  

Illuminate was born out of my passion for writing in different forms, for different people. I want to help businesses to tell their stories in a way that helps them to shine and grow. 

Writing and communicating isn't for everyone, and it doesn't have to be.  You're busy putting your heart and soul into your business, where your own passion thrives, but you don't need to do everything. Let me help you to tell your story.